November 2009 the breast cancer came back and we looked forward to springtime 2010 when treatment would be complete, we encountered a few turns and twist along the way but through it all Reenie has stayed strong, gracious and beautiful. Springtime 2010 has turned into springtime 2011 and still our warrior is battling the beast. A month or so ago I wrote that stable was the magic word in our progress and as we visited with our oncologist a few days later stable was the word he also used. The feeling was that this chemotherapy treatment was slowing down the progression of cancer cells and that was good, the thought also was that we may not get to total remission and that chemo would most likely be a course of action indefinitely. This was disappointing but also a positive that we could keep the cancer from progressing with this treatment and this drug was tolerable for Reenie as she has built a tolerance for the pain and fatigue. The proof that Reenie was handling this was never more apparent than this last week. Sunday March 6th we were surprised with a 32nd wedding anniversary party with some family and friends, it was an awesome evening hosted by the Massats and Lykes. Since the party Reenie has shown signs of her old self, wanting to get out more, turning on her grandma mode and looking forward to a trip given to her from her "high school" friends, this has been a great week. Well springtime means the amusement parks are opening and that means someone has fired up the roller coaster. We received news this week that her latest tumor markers have shown an increase, the numbers went up about 15% which is now 2 months in a row with increases and that has alarmed the doctors. Last month the increase was very minimal but now a second month of raised markers brings concern that this tolerated drug may have become resistant, so much for the great week. After consulting with our oncologist today Reenie needs to have a PET scan to determine what the raised markers mean. Until then we are staying on this treatment and expect to have the test done next week with results and decisions made by the end of the month. The treatment could be altered to a higher dose or more frequent, it also could be changed completely which is the unknown that we are afraid of. The new treatment brings possible side effects that are not as tolerable and also a feeling of we are back at square one. So for now we wait for the test and it's results and we stay the course, so as we continue this journey we pray that the results are favorable to continue this treatment and hope that the roller coaster ride this spring is more like the shuttle from the parking lot than the American Eagle. Thanks to all who helped celebrate our anniversary and thanks for the continued support and prayers (our warrior needs them all)
Love Reen and Tom
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